What is the function of our heart valves? Our heart valves are what transfer our blood from chamber to chamber in the heart along with delivering blood to the larger arteries. The valves open and ...

The heart valves play a vital role in ensuring blood flows correctly through the heart and the rest of the body. If they do not function correctly, a person may require surgery to replace the damaged ...

In general, mechanical valves tend to last longer than tissue valves, but patients who receive them have an increased risk of blood clots and must take anticoagulants. "After valve replacement surgery ...

When parts of the heart, such as the valves, do not work properly, it is possible to repair or replace them. The aortic and mitral valves are the ones that surgeons most commonly replace. Most valve ...

AMES, Iowa – You’re in the middle of the aorta, the body’s pipeline for oxygen-rich blood, looking back toward the heart’s primary pump, the left ventricle. The ventricle muscle contracts and the ...

In replacement aortic valve procedures, bioprosthetic valves have become increasingly more common than mechanical replacements, since those made out of animal tissue are less likely to cause blood ...

Earlier this year, when leaks around Louise Calhoun’s replacement mitral heart valve kept her from walking more than a few feet before needing to rest, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) ...